Category: PR

Three Human Cases of West Nile Virus Identified in New Castle County

Posted on by Kate Smith

DOVER, DE (Sept. 12, 2023) – The Delaware Public Health Laboratory (DPHL) has identified this year’s first human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in three men 50 years of age and older, all of whom reside in New Castle County. All three individuals who contracted WNV were hospitalized due to infection from the mosquito-borne illness. At this time, it appears that each WNV victim is likely to have contracted the disease locally, but a public health investigation is ongoing, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today. Read more

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DPH Announces Start of Flu Season

Posted on by Kate Smith

DOVER, DE (Sept. 29, 2022) – October 2 marks the official start of the 2022-2023 influenza (flu) season. The flu vaccine plays a pivotal role in helping to avoid significant flu-related illnesses, including hospitalization and death. The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) believes it is vital for Delawareans to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting the flu vaccine as soon as possible, particularly given the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and a potentially active flu season ahead. The U.S. often looks to the experience of Australia and New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere during their flu season in the summer as a possible Read More …

Eligibility for Monkeypox Vaccine Expands in Delaware

Posted on by Kate Smith

DOVER, DE (Sept 22, 2022) ­– The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is sharing upcoming opportunities for individuals to get vaccinated against the monkeypox virus (MPX). The current case count for MPX in the state is 35, including 23 cases in New Castle County, three cases in Kent County, and nine cases in Sussex County. Delaware continues to offer vaccinations to people at a higher risk of exposure. Vaccine eligibility is being expanded to include all gay, bisexual and transgender or nonbinary persons having sex with men, or females having sex with gay, bisexual, non-binary, or transgender males. Delaware is also expanding vaccine eligibility to health care workers Read More …

CDC Raises Delaware’s COVID-19 Community Levels to High in All Counties

Posted on by Kate Smith

CDC RAISES DELAWARE’S COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVELS TO HIGH IN ALL COUNTIES; DPH ENCOURAGES MASKING IN INDOOR PUBLIC SETTINGS AND VACCINATION DOVER, DE (July 29, 2022) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised Delaware’s COVID-19 community levels to the High category (red) in all three counties on July 28, 2022.    As a result, the Division of Public Health (DPH) is asking Delawareans to follow the CDC’s key strategies at this level of community spread:    ·       Wear a well-fitting mask in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. ·       Stay home if you are sick and get tested if you have symptoms or Read More …

DPH Encourages Eligible Delawareans to Get Boosted Now

Posted on by Kate Smith

DOVER, DE (July 15, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) reports that COVID-19 cases experienced an uptick in the daily 7-day average for the percentage of positive tests since the previous monthly COVID-19 update released on June 17, 2022. Since that time, Delaware has also exceeded 3,000 COVID-related deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 Community Levels data tracker, which was last updated on June 14, case levels in Kent County are considered high, while case levels in New Castle and Sussex Counties are listed as medium. Many people are expressing concerns about getting vaccinated Read More …

Monkeypox in Delaware

Posted on by Kate Smith

DOVER, DE (JULY 12, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Public Health’s (DPH) is announcing the state’s first case of the monkeypox virus (MPX). This week, DPH received test results showing a 41-year-old New Castle County man tested positive for MPX. This positive case is considered probable pending confirmatory testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Delaware man did not report any travel or exposure to someone known to have MPX but is believed to have been exposed to the virus after close intimate contact with an individual in early July. The individual is self-isolating and DPH Read More …

COVID-19 Vaccine Record Now Accessible via QR Tool

Posted on by Kate Smith

DOVER, DE (Dec. 21, 2021) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today that individuals vaccinated in Delaware will now have access to a QR code when downloading their COVID-19 vaccination record. The digital COVID-19 vaccination card now includes the QR code and is available through the DelVAX Public Portal, a site where those who were vaccinated in Delaware can access their immunization records. When the person accesses their COVID-19 record they will be able to download a PDF version of it, which resembles a vaccine card and includes the QR Code. The image can then be saved to a phone Read More …

DPH Advises Vaccine Providers to Offer Booster Doses for All Three COVID-19 Vaccine Brands to Eligible Delawareans

Posted on by Kate Smith

“Mix and match” booster approach available to those interested DOVER (OCT. 22, 2021) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) today announced that Delaware’s vaccine providers can begin administering booster doses for vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to certain populations that have been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine received booster authorization last month. DPH is also advising that any of the three authorized vaccines can be administered to qualifying individuals as a booster in a “mix and match” approach to the vaccine originally received. This decision comes after Read More …

CDC Press Release: New study shows Tdap vaccination during pregnancy can prevent whooping cough in babies

Posted on by Kate Smith

Press Release For Immediate Release Thursday, September 28, 2017 Contact: CDC Media Relations (404) 639-3286   New study shows Tdap vaccination during pregnancy can prevent whooping cough in babies  Less than half of pregnant women in the United States take advantage of vaccination A new CDC study published today in Clinical Infectious Diseases reported that vaccination with whooping cough vaccine, Tdap, during the third trimester of pregnancy prevented more than three out of four (78 percent) cases of whooping cough (also known as pertussis) in babies younger than two months. However, only 49 percent of pregnant women who delivered between Read More …

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